"Peace Defined"

" Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." John 14:27

Most people define peace as-- the absence of problems.  When all is going well in their lives, they have peace.  But let a storm come, let conflict come, let problems come, let trials hit their lives and there goes their peace. 

Peace is not the absence of problems.  You can still have peace even when in a storm.  You can still have peace when your heart is breaking.  You  can still have peace when your world is falling apart.  Why?  How?  Because it is His/the Lord's peace that you have.

When the disciples were in the boat and the storm arose, they were fearful.  They were afraid of drowning.  They were toiling to try to remove the water from the boat.  They were abandoning all hope.  They were convinced they would perish.  We see Jesus in the same boat and same storm with them.  But we see a different reaction in Him than in the disciples.  He was asleep.  He was resting.  He was at peace. 

Was Jesus in the storm?  Yes.  But He was at peace in it.  He was at peace because He knew the Father was with Him.  He was at peace because He knew that He was in the will of God.  He was at peace because He trusted the Father to take care of Him.  The storm was raging-- it was very present-- but Jesus had peace in the midst of it.  This is the true definition of peace. 

If you are going through a storm, a trial, a problem, a situation this morning, I am not saying that it is not real.  But you can still have peace of heart and mind during it.  That is what real peace is.

Have a great day.  Peace is not defined as the absence of a problem.  It is defined as a state of rest while in the problem.